Injured eagle resting at raptor center

A bald eagle struck by a car this morning on Egan Drive is being cared for by volunteers from the Juneau Raptor Center until it can be taken to a veterinarian for X-rays.

Juneau Police Sgt. Kevin Siska found the young eagle about 7:30 a.m. ``flapping around on the road'' near Vanderbilt Hill. It was in traffic at first and then got onto the road's shoulder, he said, where motorists slowed down for a look.

Raptor center volunteers Noele Weemes and Jaimie Sorg crated the eagle and took it to Sorg's home, where Sorg and volunteer Scot Tiernan examined it and found no apparent injuries. The volunteers have federal permits to handle eagles and are trained to do the first evaluation of a bird's condition.

The eagle is a juvenile, about three to four months out of the nest, Tiernan said. ``There are a lot of juveniles out now and they're flying around, and they don't know how to do it well,'' he said.

The eagle was probably just dazed by the collision, Sorg said. It ran but didn't fly when she approached it on the highway. Volunteers will take the bird to a veterinarian for a full-body X-ray this afternoon or Tuesday morning, she said.

This is the 14th eagle the center has cared for this year, Weemes said. Some are sent from outlying towns such as Haines, Yakutat and Hoonah.

After the birds are examined, volunteers usually keep them in a kennel at their homes until they can eat solid food. Then the birds are taken to the raptor center off Hospital Drive, where they're kept until they regain their strength and can fly.